What's Lotus and Rose
all about?

Lotus and Rose is a Web
site devoted to open inquiry about the universal life of the spirit -- Eastern
and Western -- without pressing any particular viewpoint.

"Why?" you might ask.

We all invent our spiritual
lives.

Some will say, "No, I find spiritual truth
to reside in this book," or "...in this church," or "...in this guru," or
"...in this holy person." Yes, aspects of truth may reside in them all.
Nevertheless, our spiritual lives are our own inventions.

Who is the one who accepts the idea that the
book is inspired, and even infallible?

Who is the one who puts trust in a saint or
holy person?

Who is the one who submits to the
initiations, practices, ceremonies, sermons, and study?

I AM.

Your spiritual life is your invention. A
marvelous invention it is! Truly marvelous!

The truth about our spiritual lives is that
they are mixtures of things we've experienced and learned throughout our
lives. Lotus and Rose encourages this.

Lotus and Rose exists to
offer encouragement to everyone to see the beauty and variety in
the lotus pond and the rose garden.

The organized religions of the world,
unfortunately, often have a deadening effect on the life of the spirit.
Constant bickering and feuding, condemning more than loving, bound by
traditions and ways of doing things, institutional spirituality often rejects
anything unlike itself.

A good example is the way a society's
outcasts are treated by many religious organizations and leaders. The great
masters humbly reached out to the most despised castaways of society, but
their disciples have lessons yet to learn. Frequently, certain folk are
special targets of rejection and find themselves unwelcome in traditional
religious communities. Institutions that preach love tolerate hate, knowingly
or unknowingly. For many, this means isolation from spiritual communities, or
inclusion at the expense of honesty.

Institutions organized to perpetuate
established dogma spend a great deal of energy maintaining that authority and
power, and those who differ from the accepted pattern, for whatever reason,
are unwelcome.

Perhaps that's the way things were meant to
be. Perhaps some will drink water from one source, while others sip the same
refreshment from another. Rejection does not kill the spirit's thirst.
Difficulty searches for other streams in the desert.

Some of us are devout adherents
of highly organized religious systems. If we were raised in a certain
religious environment, those teachings and experiences remain with us, still
influencing us even though we might outwardly reject them.

Some of us have had little or no exposure to
organized religion, and prefer it that way. Yet, still our spiritual waters
flow just as deep, maybe so deep they're yet to be discovered in our inner
caverns.

Regardless of our experiences, or lack of
them, as we simply live from one day to the next, we learn new
things.

Sometimes these experiences result in
profound changes, while at other times the change is more subtle.

The point is...we grow and change. That,
after all, is what it means to be alive.

The question still remains, however,
although I am, who am I?

Who is the one looking here and there, ever
so busy "doing practices," or "performing penances," or "serving the
Lord"?

WHO am I?

And that's what Lotus and
Rose is all about -- openness, growth, change --
discovery!

WELCOME!

Lotus and Rose
believes...

Help in walking the spiritual path can be
found in many places, not just one.

There really is no "one-right-answer" for
everyone.

The spiritual life, like most other
aspects of life, is a practical, day-to-day experience. Some things work,
others don't. A wise person considers the possibilities, finds what works,
and moves along.

Helpful associations may be found, but
like all human relationships, they're subject to change because change is
one of life's essential ingredients. We aren't limited to the spiritual
heritage of our birth -- or the lack of it.

There's more to life than "eat, drink and
be merry."

Spiritual life exists in everyone,
including those with no religion.

We can learn from both Eastern and
Western paths and are not limited to one or the other.